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Mercury Friendship 7

Mercury "Friendship 7" on display in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall at the Museum in Washington, DC.

Mercury Friendship 7

Mercury Friendship 7 on display in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.

Close Up of Friendship 7

A detail view of the Mercury Friendship 7 spacecraft before conservation.

Inside Friendship 7

The seat inside the Mercury Friendship 7 spacecraft was known as the couch. It was custom-made to fit John Glenn and his spacesuit during the mission.

Friendship 7 Control Stick

This control stick was used by John Glenn during the flight of Friendship 7. It was similar to those used in aircraft, except it controlled only the direction the capsule pointed in space.

Inside Friendship 7

In this photo of the interior of the Friendship 7 spacecraft, you can make out the eye chart that John Glenn was asked to read to check his vision during flight.

American Flag on Friendship 7

The American flag on Friendship 7 was one way to identify the capsule in the event it landed off course, but mostly it was a way of marking national pride.

Astronaut John Glenn Climbing into the Mercury Spacecraft

Astronaut John Glenn, Jr., as he enters into the spacecraft Friendship 7 prior to MA-6 launch operations.

Parade in Cocoa Beach, Florida, Honoring John Glenn's Spaceflight

President John F. Kennedy (left), John Glenn and General Leighton I. Davis ride together during a parade in Cocoa Beach, Florida after Glenn's historic first U.S. human orbital spacefight. Glenn returned to a hero’s welcome, including parades in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. His flight meant that the United States could finally compete with Soviet successes in the Cold War space race.

John Glenn Inspecting the Placement of the Friendship 7 Name

Astronaut John Glenn and technicians inspect artwork that will be painted on the outside of his Mercury spacecraft.

Launch of the Mercury "Friendship 7" Spacecraft

A Mercury-Atlas rocket launched Astronaut John Glenn and Friendship 7 into orbit.

The Mercury Friendship 7 Spacecraft on Tour

he Mercury MA-6 capsule Friendship 7 (right, mounted on transport trailer) is saluted by a trumpeting elephant at Katunayake Airport, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), following a three-day exhibition in Colombo, July 1, 1962. To promote the U.S. space program – and U.S. interests generally – Friendship 7 made a "fourth orbit," a world tour.

People in Line to See the Mercury Friendship 7 Spacecraft

Spectators stand in line to view the Friendship 7 capsule during its post-flight display at the Brabourne stadium in Bombay, India, 1962. To promote the U.S. space program – and U.S. interests generally – Friendship 7 made a "fourth orbit," a world tour.

Interior of Friendship 7

The inside of Friendship 7. In this historic capsule, John H. Glenn Jr. became the first American to orbit the Earth.

Friendship 7 Heat Shield

Heat shield from the Mercury Friendship 7 capsule.

Mercury Friendship 7 Panorama

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

Capsule, Mercury, MA-6

By orbiting the Earth, John Glenn showed that the United States could compete with the Soviet Union in the Cold War space race.

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Collection Item Summary:

In this historic capsule, John H. Glenn Jr. became the first American to orbit the Earth. Glenn's flight was the third manned mission of Project Mercury, following two suborbital flights by astronauts in 1961. Glenn's three-orbit mission on February 20, 1962, was a sterling success, as he overcame problems with the automatic control system that would have ended an unmanned flight. But reentry was tense, as a faulty telemetry signal from the spacecraft indicated that the heat shield might be loose. Mission Control instructed Glenn not to jettison the retrorocket package after firing in order to better hold the heat shield in place. Glenn reentered successfully and splashed down in the Atlantic 4 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds after launch.

NASA transferred Friendship 7 to the Smithsonian Institution in 1963, which has exhibited it in buildings on the National Mall ever since.

Collection Item Long Description:

A Hero's Welcome

After his successful orbital flight, John Glenn returned to a hero’s welcome, including parades in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. His flight meant that the United States could finally compete with Soviet successes in the Cold War space race.

Atlas ICBM

The space race was a Cold War battlefield. The Atlas rocket that launched Friendship 7 was a modified ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) originally designed for nuclear warfare.
The Mercury astronauts were aware of the risks. John Glenn's mission was the sixth launch of the Mercury-Atlas. Of the five previous launches, two had failed.